My cup overflows. My laundry does too.

Samantha was born beautiful and healthy on March 10, 2011. At six weeks old, she was diagnosed with Group B strep. She passed away at four months old. There is so much more to say about Samantha, but no one could say it better than her family. Samantha’s mom, Stephanie, has chronicled their story with honesty and poignancy on her personal blog, Blooming Joy, and Samantha’s CaringBridge page (along with some entries from Samantha’s dad Travis and her Aunt Allison).

Travis and Stephanie will tell you that they are not brave and strong, and that they have gotten through this only by the grace of a faithful God. I believe that. From my perspective, our faithful God equipped them to be extremely brave and even heroic – during Samantha’s illness, death, and after. They parented her well when she was healthy. They parented her well when she was dying. And now, when Samantha’s free of pain, they continue to be amazing parents. They treasure the time they had with her. They’ve gone back to bring donations to the places that helped them so much during Samantha’s illness. They honor her life. They look forward to a reunion someday.

They are organizing a 5K to celebrate the life of Samantha. This is a spiritual journey as well as a physical one. They’re using the program Run for God, which is a Christian running program designed to strengthen people’s faiths as well as their bodies. Money raised from the 5K will go to a sponsorship in Samantha’s name at Faith Lutheran School.

While I’m nowhere near Texas, my running buddy and I are running in support of Travis and Stephanie and in honor of Samantha.